


lilyflower

by maisy_daisy



Category: Rainfall-Miriam Brookler
Genre: F/F, Pining, SHES A DISASTER UR HONOR, Sickfic, aurie îs sick and liss is conCERNED, in which liss pines and I pine bc life imitates art, post book one, royal wives, theyre so gay im so gay do u see the trend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:14:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28603512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maisy_daisy/pseuds/maisy_daisy
Summary: Aurie Baridu is dying and Liss won't hesitate to murder her if Aurie dare kick the bucket.or, in which, Aurie gets sick, and Liss is there to comfort her friend. As friends do. Totally friendly. Best buds. Gal pals. That's it.*Friends.*
Relationships: Glennariliss Dalim/Aurie Baridu, Liss Dalim/Aurie Baridu, auriss bliss





	lilyflower

**Author's Note:**

> I would just like to make it known that as the very first person to post a fic for rainfall, I will be accepting only love and support for my favorite royal wives. the fact theyre not married is neither here nor there. stan rainfall, bitch <3

Aurie Baridu is dying.

Unfortunately for Liss, though perhaps fortunately for Heidos, it’s not Ren’s fault this time. At least if it had been, Liss could just ground him or exile the tornado-on-legs for a few weeks. It could arguably be Silan’s doing, and even more likely Ideem’s, and even that would’ve been better because Liss could do something about it. Namely, unleash some newly discovered emotions on the menaces ravaging the castle around her.

(Okay, not _ravaging_. That’s a bit excessive. But the point, Liss insists, still stands.)

But in all sense of the statement, it’s no one’s actual fault that Liss’ best friend and maybe-something-more is knocking on death’s door.

Except for Aurie herself.

“You idiot,” Liss groans for the third time that day. Or eighth. Her and Aurie have both lost count. “Why would you do this to me?”

“My sincerest of apologies, princess,” the sick girl deadpans. Liss glares. “Would you be so kind to find forgiveness in that heart of your’s for my fragile state?”

“For someone with strep,” Liss hisses, “that was a mouthful.”

Aurie’s faux-earnest facade fades and she smirks. “Ren’s audacity must be wearing off.” Even where she’s sat up weakly in bed, pillows squashed behind her back for support, Liss can sense the waves of energy rolling off the taller woman. Aurie’s never been the one to truly kick back and relax, despite claiming her need for a nap every other hour even when she’s alert and healthy. Usually it can be endearing, but also concerning. She can be the Chosen One all she wants—and good for fucking her, by all means—but right now, Liss has chosen that Aurie needs to rest and that’s that. Yet somehow, even when she’s suffering from a raging fever and scraped-raw throat, Aurie manages to find the energy to joke and demand to move around.

“You should not sound so happy about that,” Liss says. But she smiles despite herself at the sound of Aurie’s cheeky laugh. “Larai have mercy, you two will be the death of me.”

“Worse ways to go,” Aurie quips but is cut off by a series of racking coughs. Liss’ chest convulses in sympathy. And worry. Lots of worry. Come to think of it, she’s not exactly used to feeling like this. Liss waves her hand almost unconsciously and the bed sheets tuck in more snug around the sick woman.

When Liss was younger, her brother had become sick with firepox. She can still remember staying awake for hours on end to make sure he was still breathing through the pains that set his skin akin to on fire. And even though it hadn’t been her job, especially with the handful of trained healers working with him day and night to calm the illness’ spread, Liss had never felt so helpless.

She feels like that now. And Aurie’s not half as sick as her brother had been. It’s just a minor throat ailment, really. Nothing _lethal_.

At least, that’s what Aurie and Daylan and Cly and four of the castle healers keep saying. Liss humbly thinks they’re full of horseshit. Just yesterday, someone in the guard staff almost died. Sure, they suffered a violent stab wound, job hazards and all that, but _still_. What if the guard’s near-death had been an omen for Aurie?

Okay, Liss now has to admit. She may be overreacting.

But only a little.

“I’ll get you tea,” Liss offers to make herself useful. And get some fresh air. She’s having trouble concentrating yet again. Weird how that keeps happening around Aurie.

“Lilyflower,” Aurie says and Liss nods in acknowledgment. “Thank you.”

The castle servants Liss had sent away are still nowhere to be seen. Good. Something not as strange, Liss enjoys actually being the one to help her friends. Not order someone else around to do the work of being a decent person. Princess or not, Liss can very well make some damn tea for Aurie, thank you very much.

“How’s our resident plague doing?” Ren chirps when Liss enters the kitchens. He’s sat on one of the marble counters eating straight from a jar of pickled jambeets like Liss has told him not to do a million times. “I hear Foldo’s having a sale on caskets this month.” He wiggles his brows.

Liss slaps his knee and goes to open a cupboard for spices. “Stop it, Ren. She’s fine. I’m just getting her tea.”

“Hey, hey, hey. Don’t shoot the messenger.” He scoops another bite of jambeets with his index and middle finger and gulps it into his mouth. “I juht fink ish shupid to pash up—“ he makes a face and swallows the blue and purple mess—“a good deal, is all.”

“She’s not going to die,” Liss huffs as if she wasn’t having almost the exact conversation with herself five minutes ago.

“She better not. I told her to get better.” Ren must have a seed or something stuck between his teeth because he claws a fingernail at his mouth. Liss grimaces and turns back to making the tea. Ever since they defeated the Spring, water had been a lot more plentiful. Not completely abundant of course, but enough that Liss was comfortable adding an extra ounce or two for Aurie without it weighing on anyone’s conscience. “Not my fault if she doesn’t listen.”

While Liss stirs a few lilyflower petals into the concoction, Ren’s words sink in. “Did you try to _charm_ Aurie into getting better?” She guffaws.

Ren nods. _Duh_. “And she had the nerve to get offended. As if I wasn’t trying to help.”

“ _Elliren_.” Liss shakes her head. “You know that won’t work. And you know she doesn’t like you doing that to her.”

“Yeah, and I don’t like when Silan talks to me, but he does it anyway.” Ren waves his violet stained hands. “See my problem?”

Liss blinks. “Not in the slightest.”

“Tragic.”

Liss finishes brewing the tea and plucks the jar out of Ren’s hands before she leaves. When Ren protests, Liss shuts him up with a look. “Daylan’s making dinner tonight. Do _not_ ruin your appetite.”

“Are you the princess or my mom?” Ren shoots back. It’s moments like these that leave Liss dumbfounded that such an impish, borderline immature person can flip to blood-crazed terror so quickly. It’s almost cute, if Ren weren't so annoying.

“I’m the one,” Liss says, “who doesn’t want to listen to you and Dylan bicker for an hour because you can’t appreciate a nicely cooked meal after all your snacking.

Ren frowns. “You’re a tyrant, Glenniraliss.”

“Boo-hoo. Go play with your knives or something.”

That seems to do the trick. Ren’s eyes light up like Liss suggested the ice cream carriage was here and he skips out of the room in a hurry. Yes, _skips_.

Liss sighs.

By the time Liss returns to Aurie’s room, Aurie’s bundled under the covers and curled around a pillow. Heart clenching something foreign in her chest, Liss sets the cup down and takes a seat at the foot of the bed to run a soft hand through Aurie’s hair. It’s shorter than Liss’ and worn down rather than the braids Liss prefers on her own person. But it suits Aurie perfectly, namely because Liss can feel and touch and absently weave her attention through Aurie’s thick strands as if she were threading a loom.

“Ren get in the jambeets again?” Aurie murmurs, surprising Liss when the other girl looks up at her. Liss thought she’d fallen asleep.

“How’d you know?”

Instead of answering, Aurie reaches up with the hand not trapped underneath her pillow and entwines her fingers with Liss’. It draws attention to the small violet stains at the tip of Liss’ fingers from when she’d taken the jar out of Ren’s hands. “You hate jambeets.”

Liss knows she shouldn’t be touched by the comment. Objectively speaking, it’s be a _very_ strange comment to be touched by. But knowing Aurie pays enough attention to Liss to notice that, something Liss has never really drawn attention to, makes Liss’ chest do a weird backflip. It’s not a bad feeling.

It’s oddly… _nice_ , actually.

“Here, I brought—“ Liss reaches for the cup she’d sat down—“this. Lilyflower and date sugar, as you like it.”

Aurie struggles to sit up and Liss snaps her finger for the blankets to loosen and not be so constricting. Aurie grins in thanks and takes the steaming cup. Liss has to look at the bed post and not the way Aurie’s tired face brightens at the first sip, dark eyes turning rich from the warmth.

“It’s hot in here,” Liss announces for no reason. Aurie’s brows raise and she sets the tea to the side.

“I’m cold, actually,” Aurie chuckles.

“Oh, uh—“ Liss stands up, wringing her hands. “More blankets? I can get you more blankets.” Aurie wants to say she’s drowning in blankets. “Or…a fire! I can light a fire. Er, I can try to light a fire.” But there’s no fireplace in the room. “Actually, I’ll reheat your tea, it must be cold by now.” The tea is the very opposite of cold, and Aurie’s amused but confused expression stops Liss in her tracks.

“I’m rambling,” Liss says.

Aurie nods. “You’re rambling,” she agrees.

Great. Good. Fine. Whatever. Liss crosses her arms across her chest. Maybe she could go dampen a rag for Aurie’s forehead, that fever has to break soon…

“Hold me?”

Aurie’s crooked grin really shouldn’t look so self-satisfied in the state she’s in. In fact, it’s like being sick has taken her awkwardness and placed it all in Liss. Funny how that works.

“I won’t get you sick, I swear,” Aurie adds as if that’s anything close to what Liss is thinking. Liss doesn’t care about that in the slightest. It’s just…

Oh fuck it. Liss has nothing to lose. Aurie’s cold and needs someone. And Liss would be stupid, like _Ren_ stupid, to say no.

Liss shuffles over to the other side of the bed and crawls under the covers for Aurie to wrap her arms around. Liss hadn’t been lying—she is hot and the combination of the blankets and Aurie’s body heat that more resembles a furnace is about to make Liss sweat too. But no way on Heidos is she going to pass this up. She rubs her hand in smoothing circles along Aurie’s back like Liss’ mother would do when she was little and listens for Aurie’s heavy breathing to even out. When it finally does, Liss waits another few minutes just to be certain before sliding out of the bed and going grab that cool cloth.

On second thought, she might miss dinner. Aurie needs to get some rest and Liss, well…

What kind of princess would she be if Liss didn’t tend to her most vulnerable subjects?

 _Yeah, right, s_ he rolls her eyes at herself.

_I’m not fooling anyone._

**Author's Note:**

> READ RAINFALL BY MIRIAM BROOKLER AND GO SHOWER HER WITH UR LOVEEEEEEE
> 
> u can find me on Tumblr at ravens-play-exy-too and Miriam's is @miriambrookler


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